this is gross

Tomorrow, the Orange and Blue Observer and the Illini
Conservative Union will be holding “Conservative Coming Out
Day” on the Quad. This event will include a gun raffle and
testimonials from conservative students about the oppression
they allegedly face because of their conservative views.

The event will include a fund-raising raffle to provide free
handguns to women and homosexuals. Their own publicity
states, “Affirmative Action giveaway. Women and homosexuals
specially invited to enter…‘One for every purse.’” (Quoted
from a publicity flyer received via email from the Illini
Conservative Union to the Orange and Blue Observer listserv.
September 16, 2005.)

The Illini Conservative Union has chosen to intentionally
mock National Coming Out Day, which is held every October
and organized by PRIDE and LGBT groups across the country.
National Coming Out Day is designed to encourage and support
LGBT persons as they come to terms with their sexual
orientation. “I think the important thing to emphasize here
is that we support their right to free speech and thus their
right to hold this event. However, we find the way they’re
doing it to be disrespectful. They’re making a mockery of
the coming out process, which can be extremely difficult for
people, and they’re using old-fashioned generalizations to
label women and gay people. Nothing productive or meaningful
is accomplished,” Feminist Majority executive advisor
Melissa Murphy said. “We’re not trying to organize some
super-PC crusade in response to what they‘re doing, but
there is a certain level of decency that is not being upheld
in their event. Grouping women and gay people together as
purse-carrying objects of femininity is neither honest nor
funny --at least not to someone over the age of 12. Come to
any meeting of PRIDE or Feminist Majority, and you’ll
immediately see that generalizations like this one don’t
hold an ounce of credibility,” PRIDE publicity director Jon
Monteith said. The Illini Conservative Union also plans to
deride the University of Illinois’ affirmative action policy
by “evaluating” each potentially winning raffle ticket
instead of choosing a winner randomly.